Vectorworks 2010 User manual

Vectorworks®Spotlight 2010
Getting Started with

2 Vectorworks 2010 Products
Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Klad
Kevin Lee Allen Design (KLAD)
Kevin Lee Allen
56 Woodlawn Avenue
Clifton, NJ 07013
973.744.6352
[email protected]
© 2009 Nemetschek North America, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, faxing, emailing, posting online or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior
written permission of the publisher. Published in the U.S.A.
Vectorworks is a registered trademark of Nemetschek North America, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Windows is a registered
trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the
U.S. and other countries. Adobe, Acrobat and Reader are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems in the U.S. and other countries.
The information in this book is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the
preparation of this book, neither the author nor Nemetschek North America shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect
to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book or by the
computer software described in it.
For more Vectorworks training information, or to purchase more copies of this book, please visit
www.Vectorworks.net/training or call us at [phone].

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Table of Contents
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................. 7
How to Use this Manual .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Getting Help ............................................................................................................................................................. 9
The Spotlight Workspace ......................................................................................................................................11
Creating and Editing Workspaces...................................................................................................................................................... 12
Creating a Template .............................................................................................................................................. 15
Organizing the Drawing ........................................................................................................................................ 17
Working Planes ................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Locus Points...................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Rotated Views. .................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Layer Plane and Screen Plane.......................................................................................................................................................... 20
Understanding Symbols ....................................................................................................................................... 21
Understanding Symbols .................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Available Resources.......................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Creating Symbols .............................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Creating Image Props ....................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Symbol Types.................................................................................................................................................................................... 26
File Referencing ................................................................................................................................................................................ 27
Primitive Drawing .................................................................................................................................................. 29
Other 2D Shape Tools ....................................................................................................................................................................... 34
Oval................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
Regular Polygon................................................................................................................................................................................ 34
Polygon and Polyline......................................................................................................................................................................... 34
Offset................................................................................................................................................................................................. 35
Fillet and Chamfer............................................................................................................................................................................. 36
Rotate................................................................................................................................................................................................ 36
Mirror................................................................................................................................................................................................. 36
Drawing with Lines and Making Objects ........................................................................................................................................... 36

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Duplicate ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Convert to Polygon and Re-Shaping................................................................................................................................................. 38
Exercise............................................................................................................................................................................................. 38
2D – 3D Drawing & Modeling................................................................................................................................ 39
Sweep ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Extrude Along Path............................................................................................................................................................................ 42
Chain Extrude.................................................................................................................................................................................... 42
Multiple Extrude................................................................................................................................................................................. 43
Editing 3D Shapes............................................................................................................................................................................. 43
Exercise............................................................................................................................................................................................. 43
3D Modeling ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 44
Manipulating Solids ........................................................................................................................................................................... 44
3D Primitives ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 44
Project — The Lighthouse................................................................................................................................................................. 45
Using the Wall Tools.............................................................................................................................................. 47
Wall Tool............................................................................................................................................................................................ 48
Floors ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 48
Door and Window Tools .................................................................................................................................................................... 48
Curtain Tool ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 49
Create Seating Layout....................................................................................................................................................................... 50
Curved Wall Tool ............................................................................................................................................................................... 50
Wall Sculpting.................................................................................................................................................................................... 51
Column Tool ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Stair Tools.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 53
Roof Tools ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 55
Drawing a Light Plot.............................................................................................................................................. 57
Label Legends................................................................................................................................................................................... 57
Focus Point Objects .......................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Lighting Positions .............................................................................................................................................................................. 59
Truss.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 60
Creating Lighting Positions................................................................................................................................................................ 60
Inserting Instruments......................................................................................................................................................................... 60
Coloring your Lights .......................................................................................................................................................................... 61
Editing Lights..................................................................................................................................................................................... 61

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Adding Accessories........................................................................................................................................................................... 63
Adding Gobos.................................................................................................................................................................................... 63
Vertical Lighting Positions ................................................................................................................................................................. 64
Shutter Cuts for Visualization............................................................................................................................................................ 64
Projection/Monitor Tools.................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Photometrics/PhotoGrid .................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Scripting ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 66
Creating Custom Lighting Symbols................................................................................................................................................... 67
Create Plot and Model View.............................................................................................................................................................. 67
Visualizing your Design........................................................................................................................................ 71
Rendering Modes .............................................................................................................................................................................. 72
Layer Backgrounds ........................................................................................................................................................................... 74
Exercise............................................................................................................................................................................................. 76
Textures............................................................................................................................................................................................. 77
Creating Textures .............................................................................................................................................................................. 77
Assigning Textures ............................................................................................................................................................................ 80
Textures and Walls ............................................................................................................................................................................ 80
Textures in the OIP............................................................................................................................................................................ 80
Mapping............................................................................................................................................................................................. 81
Attribute Mapping Tool....................................................................................................................................................................... 81
Decals ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 81
Camera Tool...................................................................................................................................................................................... 82
Rendering a simple scene................................................................................................................................................................. 83
Exercise............................................................................................................................................................................................. 83
Lighting in the 3D World....................................................................................................................................... 85
View Menu Options. .......................................................................................................................................................................... 85
Directional Light Mode....................................................................................................................................................................... 86
Spot Light .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 86
Point Light ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 87
IES Files and Custom Lights............................................................................................................................................................. 87
Line Lights and Area Lights............................................................................................................................................................... 87
Lit Fog Option.................................................................................................................................................................................... 87
Exercise............................................................................................................................................................................................. 88

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Presenting your Drawings.................................................................................................................................... 89
Viewports and Sheet Layers ............................................................................................................................................................. 89
Key to Instrumentation ...................................................................................................................................................................... 91
Dimensions and The Annotation Space ............................................................................................................................................ 92
Drawing Border Tool.......................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Custom Title Blocks........................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Graphic Scale Tool ............................................................................................................................................................................ 94
Drawing Labels.................................................................................................................................................................................. 94
Viewport Cropping............................................................................................................................................................................. 95
Section Viewports.............................................................................................................................................................................. 95
Class Overrides................................................................................................................................................................................. 96
Paperwork ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 96
NURBS.................................................................................................................................................................... 97
NURBS Tools (from the Toolset)........................................................................................................................................................ 97
NURBS Commands (from the 3D Power Pack)................................................................................................................................ 97
Fillet or Chamfer Edge ...................................................................................................................................................................... 98
Protrusion Cutout .............................................................................................................................................................................. 99
Solid Addition/Loft Tool .................................................................................................................................................................... 101
Revolve with Rail ............................................................................................................................................................................ 102
Surface Thickening/Solid Shell Tool ................................................................................................................................................ 103
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 103
Exercise........................................................................................................................................................................................... 103
Links ..................................................................................................................................................................... 104
Bio ........................................................................................................................................................................ 105

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Introduction
This guide is not designed to make you an expert in Vectorworks, Spotlight or Renderworks. It is designed to teach the basics of
working with these software tools. This is one of many possible workows. Your own methods may vary slightly over time. This book
only begins to scrape the surface as to what can be done with Vectorworks Spotlight.
I work on a Macintosh computer; thus all of the screen shots here show the MacOS. Windows users will nd the same information in
the same places. It may look a bit different. From time to time, I have inserted information about keyboard shortcuts. Again, I generally
make reference to the Command Key. On a PC, that usually means the Control Key. There is a complete reference to these shortcuts
in the help les, complete with cross referencing the two OS.
This guide comes as a shorter introduction piece in printed form, and exists in a more thorough form on the accompanying DVD.
When I teach Vectorworks, I stress the architectural concept of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Simply put,this is working and
collaborating in the three-dimensional environment. On a more complex level, BIM allows 2D and 3D representations of objects
connected with data. On a collaborative level, this allows a set designer to provide a void and Technical Directors to ll parts of that void
with structure, lighting designers to add instrumentation, sound designers to insert microphones or speakers and video designers to
add screens and gear. BIM in the performing arts allows for a truly collaborative space for the various partners to work and share
information across a series of referenced les.
As a professional, I work this way. I nd that this workow allows me to develop a project from beginning to end, collaborate effectively
and produce both presentational materials and construction documents that evolve with the design.
Working in the 3D space with dynamic links to presentations (sheet layers) keeps the entire project constantly update
Using Metric Units with Exercises
All exercise data set les for this tutorial are set to use imperial units.

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
How to Use this Manual
Work through the guide. This is the house that Jack built. Each exercise or process, no matter how simple, leads to the next•
exercise. It helps to have the hands and the mind work through the simple steps before reaching more complex problems.
This manual covers a lot of ground quickly. Yet, you will see it still just skims the surface of a powerful application. Everything is •
here so that you can get up to speed with Vectorworks Spotlight quickly.
Alternate methods are shown for activating/using many tools, commands, and modes.
•
Use what works best for you.
Experiment with different tools and techniques.
•
Watch for SmartCursor cues, which appear as you hover your cursor over signicant drawing object geometry.•
To pan across the drawing at any time (even if a tool or command is active) hold down the Space Bar and drag the cursor.•
I do assume you are familiar with basic computer terms and basic theatrical concepts.•
Save early, save often.•
Establish a back-up ritual.•
Save-As frequently, so you can always access earlier ides and solutions.•
Use symbols, get to know and understand them early.•
Use the Vectorworks auto back-up in addition to your own back up plan.•
Most tools have options, selected in the Tool bar. See the illustration on page 13.•
Don’t be concerned if you do not understand this entire introduction, it will all be explained...•

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Getting Help
Learning software is like learning how
to ride a bicycle. First: learn to fall. Fortunately, Nemetschek North America has made getting back up easy.
First let’s look at the Vectorworks help system. You can select Vectorworks Help from the Help menu, which will open the Help
application or select “What’s This?” which will change your cursor to an arrow with a question mark. You may then use this cursor to
select an object within Vectorworks and you will be sent to the appropriate location within the Vectorworks Help application.
The Vectorworks Help application is a robust depository of information that users are able to modify and adjust to their needs. Like
Vectorworks itself, the application can be automatically updated as information changes.
The Help Application Window is divided into two columns. The left column provides navigation and the right column information. If you
enter search criteria where it says “Enter text to search,” results will be displayed and ranked in the right column. Selecting a search
result will display the search topic.
Search results can be saved as Favorites by clicking on the star icon. You may also add comments and other information.
We all have trouble committing every detail of a program this complex to memory. It takes repeated use. At http://vectorworks.net it is
possible to access a number of additional learning and informational tools, including user forums, mailing lists, demonstration videos
and other guides (http://www.vectorworks.net/training/guides.php). The Vectorworks online community (http://www.vectorworks.net/
community/index.php) is dynamic and supportive. I strongly suggest membership in the user forums and e-mail lists.

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There are specic lists and forums for theatre and Spotlight, but I would not neglect the general forums and lists. Many issues that arise
in Spotlight are familiar to the larger groups of users. Questions posed to the online community are often answered almost immediately.
Since Vectorworks is used widely internationally, it almost doesn’t matter when you are working; there are other people working around
the world.
You will nd links to the online community as well as RSS feeds in the favorites tab of the Help application. As you explore Vectorworks
online, you can add other links.
Reading online posts is a great way to learn the full capabilities of
Vectorworks. The new user may not immediately grasp all of the
topics, but eventually it will all make sense.
PDF manuals can be accessed from the Help table of contents.
Let’s take a look at what else comes with the application.
Some of the terms used here have not been dened as yet; we’ll get
to them, but it is important to have an early idea about what comes
with the application.
On a Mac, the Vectorworks directory should be in the Applications
folder on your hard drive. On a PC, this directory should be in the
Program Files folder.
The libraries are another important feature that will take time to
explore. The libraries are lled with symbols (pre drawn objects) that
can be used. Critically, the Objects-Entertainment directory contains
symbols for nearly all of the lighting instruments available. There are
also accessories, lighting positions, speaker symbols, and truss
symbols.
There are also libraries for textures (used for ‘painting’ scenic
elements and Gobo Textures).
Symbols are 2D and 3D combined, or ‘Hybrid’ objects, that can be
used repetitively and can have critical information attached to them
via a data record. We’ll discuss symbols throughout this guide.

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
The Spotlight Workspace
When rst opening the Vectorworks Spotlight application, if your screen doesn’t look like this, you either don’t have Spotlight or you’re
in the wrong workspace. Go to the Menu and select Tools>Workspaces> Spotlight.
On the left side of your screen you should see the Basic Tool Palette and the Tool Sets Palette which allow you to access additional
tools for particular jobs. The Attributes Palette and the Snapping Palette are also to the left. On the right you should see the Object
Information Palette (OIP), Navigation Palette, Visualization Palette and Resource Browser.
At the top of the active window, you will see the View bar and the Tool Bar. The Tool Bar displays different options available for each
tool selected from the Basic Tool Set or one of the task specic Tool Sets. The View bar allows ready access to a number of important
functions. View bar functions can be hidden and displayed from the drop-down list on the right of the View bar.We will cover most of the
View bar elsewhere, but from the left you will see forward and backward arrows; clicking on these will take you back and forth between
recent document views. Skip to the center right and you will see two magnifying glass icons that take you a view of either a selected
item or to a view of all items in the visible drawing (if nothing is selected). Command-6 on a Mac and Control-6 on a PC have the
same functionality.

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There is a drop down menu for your view of the drawing. Typically, set to Top/Plan (Command-5) which is the 2D view from overhead.
Top is a 3D overhead view, and the others should all make logical sense. You can also access each of these views from your numeric
keypad with 5 being Plan, 2 being Front, etc.
The OIP (Object Information Palette) is a critical design control point; every object selected in Vectorworks can be manipulated via the
OIP. When you can’t gure out how to modify something, look here rst. The OIP has three tabs: Shape, Data and Render. Shape
affects size, location, and specic parameters associated with different types of objects. Data references information associated with
the object for use in worksheets, and Render affects the look of 3D objects in presentations.
The Resource Browser allows access to symbols, textures, and other data within your le and other les that may or may not be open.
Select the disclosure arrow at the top right of the Resource Browser and select Add New Favorite Files. Navigate to the Vectorworks
directory and add the following les toyour favorites:
Libraries>Defaults>Renderwoks - Textures>Textures_Default.vwx
•
Libraries>Objects-Entertainment>Lighting-ETC.vwx•
Libraries>Textures-Gobo>Rosco-Gobos>Rosco Abstract.vwx•
Libraries>Objects-Entertainment>Lighting Positions Imp.vwx•
The Navigation and Visualization palettes will be covered later as we
begin to use their specic functionality. The Navigation Palette will be
covered in Organizing the Drawing on page 17, and the Visualization
Palette in Drawing a Light Plot on page 57.
Creating and Editing Workspaces
As I’ve mentioned, Vectorworks is completely customizeable. This may be premature to mention, but you can always come back to this
information after you have worked in the program for awhile. It makes linear sense to address these options here.
Go to Tools>Workspaces> Workspace Editor and you will have several choices:
Edit the current workspace
•
Edit a copy of the current workspace•
Create a new workspace.•
I am going to suggest that you avoid creating a new workspace and
I am going to advise against editing one of the workspaces that are
provided in the installation process. Creating a new workspace
essentially gives you a blank slate. You may nd this a daunting task.

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Making a copy of the Spotlight Workspace gives you an excellent foundation on which to build and you always have the original to go
back to for reference. You can name the copy whatever you like to differentiate your workspace from the original.
Most users have several of their own workspaces. Typically at least one for use on a laptop and one for use with a larger screen. Many
lighting designers like to gather all of the lighting commands into a single top level menu.
Over time you may nd additional tools or plug-ins that you would like to add to Vectorworks. Some come with their own workspace.
Other add-ons need to be, well, added-on to any workspace where you might want to use them.
For example, lighting designers, may be interested in utilizing the
visualization capabilities of ESP Vision (http://espvision.com) and
would want to modify a workspace. If you work in television or
corporate theatre, you will notice (soon), the Video Screen
capabilities available in the Spotlight Toolset. Developer Andrew
Dunning also offers a more powerful commercial version, and if this
is your eld...
From the workspace editor, we will make a copy of the Spotlight
Workspace just to see how this is done. You will now have a
window with 3 tabs that allow you to edit the Menus, Tool sets and
Miscellaneous Keys.

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Grab the New Menu from the left column and drag over to the right.
Name it. Note that you can readily rename the other menus just as
you can rename a le. You can also delete a Menu by selecting and
hitting the delete key.
Once you have a new menu, you can drag other items from the left
column into your new menu, and arrange them as you like.
You can also edit the contextual menus to readily access an often
used tool from the right mouse button.
From the Tools Tab, you can modify your palettes in much the same
way. You can totally reorganize the tool sets to meet your work ow
and needs.
In both cases, you can alter the keystrokes required to bring up a
specic tool. In Miscellaneous Keys, you can adjust other
commands, some of which we’ll discuss a bit later.
Experiment a bit with editing a copy of a workspace. Make sure that
you have your original Spotlight workspace to go back to, at least
until you nish working through this book.

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Creating a Template
As mentioned, Vectorworks is completely customizable. We’re going to begin by looking at some of those customizations, just to get a
basic setup established.
Go to File>New to create a new document; you will have a choice between selecting a Blank Document or using a Template. A
Template le has various predetermined characteristics. Select Create blank document and we will determine our own parameters.
Go to File>Page Setup. Here we can establish the size of the page
and select a printer. The printer does not need to be selected now if
you will be printing from a PDF, which I recommend. Draw on a
sheet size that is the same as the size on which you plan to print.
Let’s establish an Architectural size D sheet (24” by 36”). If you are
not connected to a plotter, you will have to check “Choose size
unavailable in printer setup” on the top right and then US Arch D
from the drop down menu. On the left select “Show page boundary”
and de-select “Show page breaks.” Showing breaks will clutter your
drawing area with division markers, likely dividing the 24 x 36
pages into 8 ½ x 11 chunks.
Click OK and now we will begin to make some specic settings.
Go to File>Document Settings> Document Preferences; you will
see three tabs. We will leave the left and right tabs set to the
default; select the Dimensions tab. Make sure the three check
boxes are checked and that the drop down menu is set to Arch.
Click OK.
Go to File>Document Settings>Units and be sure that your
document is set to feet and inches or metric units, as appropriate.
Of course, if you design the show in one system, you can go back
later and convert the document from imperial to metric, or vice
versa. Click OK.
OK, remember the View bar? Now we’re going to use it. There
should be a data eld that says, 1:1 and next to that, on the right, a
ruler icon. If not, select Layer Scale from the View bar menu. Click
on the ruler and set the scale to 1/2”=1’-0” and select OK.
Select Tools>Options>Line Thickness... and review the default settings. Right now, this guide is about awareness; as we progress,
you will need to experiment with these settings.
Let’s select and set a default font. With nothing selected on the page, go to Text>Font and select your preferred font. This should be
something generally readable and if you will be sharing les, something that is cross platform and likely installed on your colleagues’
systems. You can make adjustments to text later in the OIP or Text menu.

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Let’s adjust, or at least begin to become familiar with, the
application preferences. On a Mac go to Vectorworks>
Preferences; on a PC go to Tools>Options>Vectorworks
Preferences. The document preferences you adjusted before
only apply to a specic le, butVectorworks preferences apply
to all les. There are seven tabs:
In general, we will stay with the default settings. Select Autosave
and be sure that Autosave is selected and set to Autosave backups.
You may want to consider putting all of your backups in one folder
so you can easily nd and edit them later. Select Interactive and
note that you can adjust the cursor and highlighting settings to your
liking, and by selecting Interactive Appearance Settings you can
adjust the selection colors. Select User Folders. A user folder
creates a directory hierarchy similar to the Vectorworks application
directory and is a location to store your personal modications to
the program. Click OK.
Now, let’s save the tile settings as a template le. Go to File>Save
as Template and the Save as Vectorworks Drawing Template dialog
box will open and suggest that the le Default.sta be saved in the
Templates folder of your User folder. ClickSave. All new documents,
unless you select another template, will have the attributes you
have specied set by default. You will likely need to save over this
Default.sta le several times as you further adjust to the program.

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Organizing the Drawing
Vectorworks documents use several conventions
for organization:
Design Layers
•
Classes•
Saved Views•
Viewports•
Sheet Layers•
Let’s look at the Organization dialogue box.
Select Tools>Organization.
The design layer is the basic level of organization.; Some people think of layers as sheets of vellum on a table; architects use layers to
distinguish oors of a building. Many theatrical designers create layers for the theatre, the set, the light plot, and the sound plot. Each
design layer layer can have a different scale.
the theatre architecture
•
the set•
the light plot•
the sound plot•
Each design layer can have a different scale. Layers can
be used to help keep your screen clear and to adjust focus
in presentations.
I have included a document so that you can examine my base
class structure and another that shows my basic layers needed for
every drawing.
I usually have a tracing layer with a PDF or a JPEG of the theatre,
ballroom or television studio architecture. On top of that I will have
an architecture layer and a master layer for my set and other
information. I then use design layers to create specic scenic
elements. I save those as symbols that are placed in the layer with
the architecture. Eventually the le gets ‘saved as’ and the tracing
is discarded unless I want it for part of my presentation.
Often when working in a team, with assistants or just to keep my les smaller, I will develop different scenic elements in different les
use the File Referencing features to gather things together. More on that ahead.
I class everything, usually by nish or scenic element. I carefully plan my class structure before beginning to work. This saves drawing
time as I assign classes as I create.
In addition to line weight and dash, I use classes to assign textures to scenic models.

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Classes can be used for objects on different layers; like layers,
they can be used to control what is visible. Vectorworks starts by
giving you two Classes: Dimension and None. Begin by editing the
Dimension class. Check Use at Creation and set the ll color to
none so that your Dimension text does not conceal another detail.
Create the Normal Weight and Section Style classes as illustrated
and re-save your Default.sta document.
Classes truly allow full use of Vectorworks and as a best practice no
object should be drawn without having a class assigned.
Going further, consider that your theatre walls may have one color
and your set wall to have another color. By using classes to assign
these attributes, when the color of the set changes, you can change
all of the walls at once. Similarly, you would want different classes to
distinguish the Grand Drape from the masking.
Saved Views (in the View Bar) allow you to revert to saved views quickly at any time. There may be an area of detail that you
continually need to return to in plan; a Saved View will allow that. Views can have different layers and classes visible. Saved Views are
also very useful for looking at scenes rendered with lights focused, lighting levels set, and gobos.
I have included a document that has my own class structure; examine it and consider how it might
apply to your workow. Do not yet expect for everything to make sense.
We’ll discuss Viewports and Sheet Layers for presentations in Presenting your Drawings on page 89.

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Vectorworks Spotlight 2010 Getting Started Guide
Working Planes
Got to Window>Palettes>Working Planes and you will see another palette. I think of working planes as a bit outside of Getting
Started, so I am not going to go into any depth here. Nonetheless, I want to be sure that you are aware of this function.
Simply explained, working planes allow you to change the base plane on which you are drawing. Typically, the base plane is a at
horizontal plane. If you have a raked set and you have objects that are perpendicular to that rake, you will likely want to add a new
working plane that angles your working area to the rake angle.
Multiple raked set pieces at different rakes require multiple working planes.
Locus Points
Vectorworks has two tools for adding locus points, These are also called ‘datum’ if you have ever worked with a British company.
There is a 2D Locus Tool in the Basic Tool Palette and a 3D Locus Tool in the 3D Modeling Tool Set.
We’ll use a 2D Datum in a bit to draw a theatre space.
Rotated Views
Rotated Views are very useful when dealing with scenery which is
very often not set at right angles, or if you have angled electrics.
From the Top/Plan view select View>Rotate Plan, or click Rotate
Plan from the View bar. Adjust as necessary, all other views will
reect the rotation.
Rotated Views can be saved in the Saved Views dialogue.

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Layer Plane and Screen Plane
Not a drawing modes, but planar modes. Is the opposite of what is
written. Layer plane will rotate 2D objects in space. Screen Plan 2d
object will not rotate.
This can be useful when preparing to extrude an object from
2D into 3D.
The Layer Plane is indicated by a pink box, unless you have
changed the color in your preferences.
Experiment with these tools a bit, but they are more
advanced topics.